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iOS 6.0.1 released, fixes iPhone 5 OTA software update issue and other bugs (update)
Been waiting for Apple to refresh its mobile operating system? Well, the wait is over, as Cupertino has just released iOS 6.0.1 with the promise of improvements and bug fixes. We just grabbed the update ourselves, and among the highlights are: a fix for the iPhone 5's inability to receive OTA software updates, problems with the phone and the 5th-gen iPod Touch connecting to WPA2 encrypted WiFi networks, and other cellular connectivity issues as well. There's also fixes for a passcode lock bug, a graphical keyboard glitch and a bug that prevented the 5's camera flash from firing. Sound good? Go grab the download and let us know how it's treating you in the comments below. Update: Thanks to our friends at TUAW, we should point out that iPhone 5 owners will need to download an updater app before they can grab 6.0.1.
Daily Update for October 15, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
iPod touch review (2012)
When last we got a new iPod touch, the fourth-generation from 2010, it was so thin relative to other devices of that era we said it looked like "a toothpick." Its 7.2mm thinness was unparalleled -- at the time. But now, just two years later, the iPhone 5 is less than a half-millimeter thicker, and that is of course packing a lot more wizardry inside. Suddenly, that toothpick is looking a little portly, which means it's time for the touch to lose a little weight. Enter the fifth-generation iPod touch, the 2012 model that has slimmed down to a mere 6.1mm in thickness. It's also about 10 percent lighter -- despite being grafted with a new 4-inch Retina display. Not only is it bigger and thinner, but it's far faster and has hugely improved cameras on both the front and rear. The perfect PMP package for $299? Click on through to find out.
iFixit tears down the 5th-generation iPod touch
According to Apple, it's "engineered for maximum funness." iFixit, the repair site that regularly sacrifices new electronic devices to the goal of helping those who repair them, wanted to get inside the new iPod touch "to see just how much 'funner' the new generation is compared to the older generations." With heat gun and spudger in hand, they carefully disassembled a new blue iPod touch. One cool thing they discovered right off the bat was that there's a little button to push on the back of the new touch. It's a retractable post for the color-matched carrying "loop" that Apple includes with your iPod touch. After getting past the adhesive and clips that hold the display on, iFixit's team unscrewed an EMI shield to reveal the huge Li-ion battery inside. At several points in the teardown, iFixit notes that "Apple is simplifying and grouping components in its products" and that this is "inadvertently putting an end to repairability." They give the iPod touch fifth Generation a repairability score of 3 out of 10, with 10 being the easiest to repair. The moral of the story? Get AppleCare for your products, since third-party repairs may be hard to come by and/or expensive.
EarPods ship without mic with new iPod touch
If you're one of the many people who has picked up a new fifth-generation iPod touch recently, you probably noticed one little change to the EarPods that came with it -- they don't have the same inline remote with microphone that comes with the iPhone 5. The new iPod touch also has an A5 processor instead of the A6 found in the iPhone 5, and the specs of the camera aren't as good (a 5-megapixel sensor in contrast to the 8-megapixel camera in the iPhone 5), but then again, the device isn't an iPhone 5 -- it's an iPod touch. iPod touch owners planning on using their new device for FaceTime or Skype don't need to worry, though; the touch does have a built-in microphone that does the job. On the other hand, it's a little odd that users can't control the touch without tapping on the screen instead of using one hand on the remote. Are any TUAW readers who have received their new iPod touch finding the lack of the mic with inline remote to be a major disappointment? Let us know in the comments.
Apple's latest iPod touch may be ready to ship (Updated)
Update: We have received a flood of emails from readers who received shipping notifications last night (October 8, 2012) and will be receiving the new iPod touch by October 15. While the fifth-generation iPod touch was announced simultaneously with the iPhone 5, and Apple began to take orders immediately for the colorful 4-inch display device, nobody was really sure when it would ship. Apple showed availability as "October," which was rather imprecise. Now reports are surfacing about the status for individual orders in some countries changing to "Preparing for Shipment." Japanese Apple news site Macotakara reports that the official sales date for the iPod touch (fifth generation) and iPod nano (seventh generation) in Japan is October 9, and that supplies are expected to be limited. MacRumors noted on Friday that the estimated ship date for the Australian online Apple Store had changed to "three weeks," with customers finding a delivery date of October 29. On the New Zealand online store, deliveries were timed for November 2. Checking many of the online Apple Store sites today shows that the ship dates for new orders are now back to the incredibly vague "October." If any TUAW readers have the new iPod touch on order and have received a shipping notice, please let us know through the tip button in the upper right side of this page.
Dev Juice: Five things you'll want to know
Yesterday, Apple introduced the iPhone 5 and the fifth generation iPod touch. Last evening, Apple invited developers to submit iOS 6 apps. Here are five tidbits developers will want to know. The new Default image is called Default-568h@2x.png. The base size is 640 x 1,136. Once the image is added to your Xcode project, you can build for the new device. If you've been taking advantage of iOS 6's [redacted]layout, the porting should be near-instantaneous. If not, well, have fun. Make sure your key window stretches to the entire device screen. Your GUI should work as gracefully at 568 points as it does at 480. A tool like Hidden Memory's Resource Helper (US$9.99) helps you review the image items in your project. It locates which elements have not been fully specified at all screen scales. For example, you may not have provided all four icon sizes (for the iPhone family with and without Retina, and likewise for the iPad family). Or an image may only be provided for normal resolution, and you forgot to provide the @2x version. Resource Helper offers a great way to profile and inspect your image resources. MultipleQUE's Shipit ($2.99) can help reshape app images to customizable destination sizes. It's not an especially well-designed product and it doesn't know how to respect "fit to size" while retaining aspect. I'd welcome any alternative suggestions readers may have. Be sure to submit screenshots for all devices you will support via iTunes Connect, including the iPhone 5. This one bit me last night as an auto-reject. Ouch. Update: Michael Howard points out that "When updating, seems like the option to add iPhone 5 screenshots doesn't even appear until after you've submitted." I thought that was what happened to me but discounted it as my having not filled out the form thoroughly. Good to have confirmation. Watch out for emails stating "The status for the following app has changed to Missing Screenshot." This should not affect new app submissions. I just checked in iTunes Connect and was properly prompted for all aspect types for a newly created app. Update: iPhone 5 now appearing in iTC metadata for updates too.
